--- title: "Secularism" date: "2026-03-13T12:44:44+00:00" modified: "2026-03-13T15:04:33+00:00" url: "https://heritage.humanists.uk/secularism/" post_id: 13750 categories: ["Freedom of Belief", "Politics", "Secularism"] tags: ["Secularism"] --- # Secularism > The adoption of the term Secularism is justified by its including a large number of persons who are not Atheists, and uniting them for action which has Secularism for its object, and not Atheism. On this ground, and because, by the adoption of a new term, a vast amount of impediment from prejudice is got rid of, the use of the name Secularism is found advantageous. > > [Harriet Martineau](https://heritage.humanists.uk/harriet-martineau/), letter to William Lloyd Garrison in the *Boston Liberator,* November 1853 ### **Secularism today** **Today, a secularist is someone who believes in the separation of church and state, and that laws and public institutions should be neutral with regards to religion and belief.** Secularists seek to ensure that persons and organisations are neither privileged nor disadvantaged by virtue of their religion or lack of it. Almost all humanists are secularists, but religious believers may also take a secularist position which calls for freedom of belief. Writing about secularism, [Andrew Copson](https://blog.oup.com/2017/11/understanding-secularism-definition/) suggests: A good provisional modern definition is that adopted by the contemporary French scholar of secularism Jean Baubérot. He sees secularism as made up of three parts: **Separation of religious institutions from the institutions of the state** and no domination of the political sphere by religious institutions **Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion for all**, with everyone free to change their beliefs and manifest their beliefs within the limits of public order and the rights of others **No state discrimination against anyone on grounds of their religion or non-religious world view**, with everyone receiving equal treatment on these grounds. Humanists and non-religious people have long campaigned for secularism and for causes that support a more secular state, including in the areas of education, government, and human rights. You can discover some of these below. - - [ Barbara Wootton (1897-1988) championed secularist causes in the House of Lords, and challenged discrimination against the non-religious. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/barbara-wootton/) - [ Bill Sefton (1915–2001) opposed blasphemy laws, and argued for religious education that was inclusive of all religions and beliefs. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/bill-sefton/) - [ Madeleine Simms (1930–2011) fought for reproductive rights, opposing religious influence on the laws governing them. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/madeleine-simms/) - [ Meghnad Desai (1940–2025) challenged religious privilege in education, including in faith schools and collective worship requirements.. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/meghnad-desai/) --- ### **Holyoake’s secularism** The term ‘secularist’ was originally coined by [George Jacob Holyoake](https://heritage.humanists.uk/george-jacob-holyoake/) in 1851 as a positive alternative to ‘atheist’, ‘infidel’, and other terms typically used derogatorily. Holyoake’s original definition was more or less synonymous with that of humanism today, emphasising positive action in the one life we could be sure of, but is not commonly used today. Both this original definition of secularist and its modern meaning derive from the Latin *saeculāris*, meaning worldly, or ‘of the world’. Though the meaning of the word came to shift, followers of Holyoake’s definition applied their secularism across many of the same areas as secularists today, including working for inclusive, non-denominational education, freedom of the press, and the abolition of blasphemy laws. - - [ G. J. Holyoake (1817-1906) coined ‘secularism’, and worked for secular education through the National Education League. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/george-jacob-holyoake/) - [ Charles Bradlaugh (1833-1891) fought for the right to solemnly affirm, rather than swear an oath, in Parliament. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/charles-bradlaugh/) - [ Louisa Thomson-Price (1864-1926) championed inclusive education and the rights of women. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/louisa-thomson-price/) - [ Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner (1858-1935) campaigned against blasphemy laws, or what she called ‘penalties upon opinion’. ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/hypatia-bradlaugh-bonner/) ### Read more [Understanding secularism](https://blog.oup.com/2017/11/understanding-secularism-definition/) by Andrew Copson | OUP Blog [Exploring the deep roots of Scottish secularism](https://sourcenews.scot/nathan-alexander-exploring-the-deep-roots-of-scottish-secularism/) by Nathan Alexander | Source See also ---------- - [ Rationalism ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/rationalism/) - [ Animation: from radical ideas to common sense ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/radical-ideas-to-common-sense/) - [ What’s in a word? ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/article/whats-in-a-word/) - [ Social Morality Council ](https://heritage.humanists.uk/social-morality-council/)